Winter's Floating
by Chris0316
Summary: Bill thought it was easy to let go. Accepting Georgie's death took a mental-toll on his current state. He doesn't know what to do now. He feels as if he's lost a part of his soul. Like he's the not the same boy hoping for a miracle. But what happens when that hope is crushed with the realization that he's all alone again? Simple. Talk to the red-head. (Billverly Pairing)
1. Chapter 1

September 18.

A few days after all of them left the well, life went back to normal. Everyone went back to their normal routine, Richie went back to his Street Fighter Tournament. Stanley started to enjoy his "summer", whilst Ben went back to the library and enjoyed the peace he had to himself again. Mike started to deliver his farm products again across all of Derry. And Eddie finally confronted his mother about his falsified condition. Beverly reported her father to the police and explained she acted in self-defence, to which now she is living by herself until her aunt comes to stay and take care of her.

Everyone except Bill. He felt as if he had never left the well and is stuck living the realisation that his brother is now dead.

Everyone had a gathering at Beverly's house that night, to which everyone attempted to keep her company in the time she was by herself. One by one, everyone arrived bringing food and games in a weak attempt to brighten the mood. The sun had already set, and it was getting dark, and the mood started to kick in, with this sense of dread and emptiness. At least that was what Bill felt upon walking to Bev's house. He was the last one to arrive, not even bothering to tell his parents where he was headed. For some reason, he didn't feel anything but sorrow for the entirety of walking to Beverly's. He tried to shrug off the feeling, convincing himself that it's "Beverly" that was more important. Every step he took felt heavier than the next, climbing her stairs proved even more of a challenge until he was finally in front of her door.

He heard laughing and giggling inside the house, and saw through the window everyone he knew. Eddie and Richie were wrestling with each other on Bev's couch whilst the rest were dying of laughter. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but stopped just before his hand had contacted the wood. He didn't know why he wanted to join in with the rest of the Losers. As seconds flew by, he started to walk backwards away from the door without turning away. He definitely was not in the mood to be cheery like the rest of them. He turned around and rested his arms on the railing, looking towards the horizon. He stayed in that position for a couple of minutes, but it felt like forever for him. He took one last sigh and began to descend the stairs. He heard a door close behind him, and before he could turn himself around he felt two arms wrap around his thin frame. It only took a second for Bill to guess who it was.

"H-hi Bev" he tried to sound cheerful but in reality, he just sounded quiet and weak. She didn't reply, and kept her arms firmly against his. "A-are you al-alright? "He tried asking her again. No response. They both stood there for what seemed like eternity, with her grip ever so tightening on his body. Bill could hear the rest of the group inside laughing and cursing at each other all the while both stood outside in the cold. The twilight wind slowly breathing on their bare skin. Bill sighed, not sure whether to feel happy or concerned about the situation. He could hear her heartbeat pacing like crazy, even more so he could feel it. The silence between them started to make Bill feel the same. "d-don't go please" Bill barely heard her faint whisper but he already knew what she was saying. "I wa-wasn't pl-planning to." He really was a terrible liar. She looked him right in his eyes. Bill could see her clear blue crystal gaze glisten right back at his and began to lose himself. He saw her beauty and flawlessness at every curve of her face. She really was a marvel to look at. Her fiery red hair hanging just above her eyes made her even more so. "You better not have been..." she muttered softly. It was obvious he had hurt her.

Bev was inside helping Mike find some bowls for the food they brought that night, enjoying the racket she had forced in her house. It was better than the deafening silence that had left her house before she was caught by "it". She came to check on the living room only to see Eddie strangling Richie on her couch. She didn't want to know of how things came to be, knowing both of them well enough. "You're an asshole you know Richie!" Eddie was screaming like he wanted to murder someone, but his age and size made him sound more adorable, to which Bev didn't even know it was possible. "Speaking of assholes, your mothe-" Eddie cut him short. "BEEP BEEP RICHIE!" Stan and Ben were listening in on the struggling couple and couldn't help but laugh a bit. Mike came back as well, smiling to himself over the situation. For some reason, this group never failed to make her smile.

But there was someone she was waiting for. Someone that made her smile more than all of them combined. Someone that made her heart race. Someone that she cared about deeply. That someone, wasn't here yet. She started to worry and feel nervous suddenly. Lately, Bill hasn't been speaking at all after discovering the truth about his brother. She wished that he was here so that she could just hug him. She wanted him to make her smile. To forget what she'd gone through. His scent drove her like crazy, and he made her feel like the most special person in the world. She wished that she could help him through the pain he dealt with by himself. It must drive him crazy to keep that pain in bay' She thought. Beverly instinctively remembered the same feeling when she met the group at the start, in regards with her father.

She quickly shook the memory away and came back to reality, looking out the window for Bill. She hasn't entirely told Bill how she felt about him, she just hoped he felt the same way towards her as well. Of all the time spent with the Losers, she always seemed to drift towards Bill. She had known him since their third year in Derry. Especially during the play where she managed to snatch a kiss off him. She's always managed Greta and her bitchy cohorts, but for some reason Bill always made her feel weak inside.

"Don't worry, he'll come." Beverly was slightly surprised to see that Stanley was behind her. "What are you talking about?" Beverly froze in her spot. Surely, he doesn't kno- "Relax, Bev. I may be Jewish, but I'm not blind." Stan laughed "He'll be here soon, don't worry." He walked away back to the room to leave her with her thoughts. She was blushing like crazy. Her blushed-out face would've returned back to normal, if only she didn't see the figure walking to her doorstep from her window. She was about to run downstairs like crazy, until she saw him freeze in place. He started to back away from the door really slowly. With each step making her heart beat faster and faster. He turned around and just stood there looking out at Derry. There was definitely something up with Bill. She managed to fight her frozen stature and quietly went out the house and lunged herself straight into Bill. She was calm and collected until he spoke. "H-hi Bev"

It was at this point, both of them didn't want to move at all. They knew they had feelings for each other. But knew they couldn't say it aloud. She wanted to ask him if he was alright, but she thought she could do more than just ask. He did so too. The moment was ruined when they saw 5 pairs of eyes watching them from inside. Bev stepped away from Bill, faster than any of them could say anything. Bill was just there dumbfounded and distracted from his previous thoughts and couldn't muster any strength to explain the situation. A long awkward silence followed the entire group as the pairs of eyes traced over to Bill and then Beverly. Richie, Eddie and Mike had their mouths gaped open for the entire duration of the scene. Only Ben and Stan were smiling like crazy. Beverly and Bill were just blushing silently to themselves, avoiding eye contact with any of the other Losers. It was that tense, you could just about hear a balloon pop somewhere in Derry. Until Stan spoke up that is…

"Are you lovebirds going to stand there? Or are you going to come back in your house?" Stan smirked.

Bill wasn't in the mood of playing around anymore. He looked Stan right in the eye, smiling nonchalantly at his obviously amused face…

"W-why the hell n-not"


	2. Chapter 2

September 18 – Night

All was supposed to be good that night, he thought. He knew as soon as he set foot into her house, he'd screw something up. But he had no other choice. He had to continue his act, and commit to it. Bill was on the verge of breaking inside, but he had kept this hidden for a small time now. It shouldn't matter to the others. And so, he knew he had to press on.

"About time you got here… What'd you do that took so long? We were supposed to be here for 6! It's friggin 9pm!" Richie boasted. All the others looked at Bill as he got accustomed to his seat in the living room. "H-had an ar-rgument with my p-parents" he softly replied. Bill looked away as he said this, hoping his lie pushed through the others. After all, they all know the strained relationship between Bill and his parents, and besides who wouldn't believe him? It was practically the half-truth of it, considering the amount of arguments they all had as of late. It was getting annoying. They were getting annoying. "Oh right… sorry Bill" Richie mumbled. "Don't worry about it, it's not that big of a deal." He tried to sound honest, but the conflict inside him made it seem more of a concern than it already was. There was a brief period of silence and pity in the room, whilst everyone was trying to concentrate on what to say next. Richie seemed quite distraught for pushing too far and he seemed full of regret for doing so. Whilst Ben and Mike were just looking around the room, trying to relieve the tension. The look on Stan and Eddie's face was of sympathy, seeing as both have parental problems as well. But not to the point where Bill is at. Nowhere near at all. Beverly was staring directly at his eyes, she didn't want him to feel that kind of pain alone. He could tell she was trying to be strong for him, with those clear crystal blue eyes. It made him feel even more guilty for lying to them.

Ben was the first out of the rest to come out of their 'pity state' "C'mon guys, aren't we here to have fun? Let's all play a game to start the night off! And Richie definitely knows what we game we should start with…" Richie turned to him and stared, trying t0 figure out a meaning to what game he mea- "Oh hell yeah!" He abruptly shouted. It was evident he figured it out, as well as the rest of the group. "Y'all losers are going downtown with Richie "The Thrasher" Tozier! Let's see which pitiful challenger would fight me first!" A wave of groans and mumbling could be heard from the rest of the group. "Might as well…" Mike picked up the controller and started to play 'Street Fighter' against Richie. Little did he know that the rest of the Losers knew Richie had been 'training' since the start of the summer up to this point in time. Stan, Eddie, Beverly, Ben and even Bill felt sorry for the poor guy after the round had ended. Mike was in a state of disbelief and shock. He wasn't even able to land a single on Richie on the last round. "Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner" Richie boasted. But before Richie could say another word, Mike spoke up. "Rematch." It was so quick, nearly everyone missed it the first time. "What was that loser?" Richie laughed. "REMATCH!" Mike shouted even more loudly. Richie jumped up with a smile on his face. "Now that's what I call a challenger!" Everyone was starting to laugh and get amused with this debacle occurring right in their faces. It was enough to get Bill to start laughing and scoop him out his emotional/mental problems. He vowed to just push aside his problematic life for a second and focus more on the present for the night. And after a few rounds against Richie, Eddie was the next to try and defeat the now 'tyrannical' and 'almighty' Richie that was cackling in front of the television. Ben and Stan started to cheer Eddie on, whilst Mike was curled up in the couch with an amused Beverly and Bill trying to comfort his losses. It was a very funny sight to behold… The stoic and unbreakable charm Mike had throughout their experience with 'it' as well as the rest of the bullies were seemingly broken down by a game… and Richie Tozier. It began a plague of losses that spread across the entire group. Even Beverly went against Richie and lost. She put up a good fight, but was eventually taken down by Richie and his mouth.

'It was an obvious mistake to play this specific game' Bill thought. Richie's usual trash mouth evolved way past his normal trash mouth and was now just spouting righteous bullshit seeing as he had a string of wins now. Bill looked over to the couch, to which was now full of badly beaten 'Losers'. Deciding to change the favour against Richie, he picked up the controller and started to pick his character. Richie saw this and immediately grinned like some sort of maniac out for blood. "Your turn to lose Big Buh-buh-buh Bill" Bill just smiled and picked his character. This piqued the interest of the rest of the Losers, especially Beverly. Bill prepared himself and hovered his hand over the buttons on the controller, waiting for the announcer to begin. "FIGHT!" Both boys started mashing the buttons in different sequences making it seem both were masters at this game. The first match was drawn out longer than the previous matches, but it was mostly in Bill's favour. He defeated Richie with ease. "WHAT THE FUCK?" Bill chuckled at Richie's reaction and looked over his shoulder to see everyone cheering him on. Ben, Stan, Beverly, Mike and Eddie were all standing up and chanting his name to the point where the neighbours could just about hear the commotion. It was obvious that he had helped cheer up Beverly in the process, to which he felt unstoppable. The next round came and Richie was more concentrated than ever, ever so desperate to not lose his title as undefeated Street Fighter champion in the entire of Derry. If word got out that he was beaten by an unknown competitor, they would surely remind him everyday of that till he died. And surely enough… Bill bested him in combat. As soon as he hit the final blow, all of the Losers jumped and started cheering and shouting at each other. Eddie ran straight at Bill and started to hug him. "YOU DID IT! SUCK IT RICHIE!" Although he was happy to see Eddie so emotionally invested in the match, his shouting deafened his left ear for the entire night. And as soon as Eddie was finished, the rest piled on top of him and started crushing his poorly built body. "G-guys I can't buh-buh-breathe" He struggled to escape since everyone was hugging him with such joy. But he eventually gave up on trying to get them off him. Beverly was the last to approach him, swiftly hugging him for a long time before putting a quick peck on his cheeks. Bill turned red as fast as Richie getting up and walking to the door. "That doesn't count Bill, that was just a practice match. It didn't count!" Richie sniffled. "Dude are you crying?!" Stan pointed out the obvious and evidently angered Richie. "I'M NOT CRYING! I've been staring at that screen for so long without blinking!" Everyone started to laugh at him and slowly began to hug the now, broken and defeated champion. "I'M HEADING HOME" Which caused everyone to laugh even more. He stormed out of the house without even looking back. Eddie and Ben were dying of laughter on the floor, whilst Stan and Mike were still hugging and chanting. Unbeknownst to them that Bill was looking at the state of Beverly's living room. Popcorn and potato crisps lying sporadically across the room, along the dismembered couch pillows strewn in front of the television, which was still blaring the 'CONTINUE' countdown. Drinks were still either full or half the amount that was poured in. Beverly just came back in the room after attempting to change Richie's mind, which involved a lot of running to try and catch up with the sore 'loser'. It was obvious she was tired and out of breath, and the time was now nearing to 10 at night, which meant she was pretty cold as well after getting back in. "Who's g-going to help m-me cl-clean up h-here?" As soon as Bill said that, Stan, Mike, Ben and Eddie looked at each other, with a discerning and dismayed look. "Erm, I think my mother's calling me now?" Eddie made a break for the door, shortly followed by Stan and Mike. "Yeah, us too! Our parents must be worried sick for us now since it's so late!" They too, ran out the door before Bill could reply. Beverly was struggling not to laugh at Bill's situation as well as the others, she stood next to the door letting all the strays escape. However, Ben was the last person struggling to escape and Bill managed to catch him for his reason of not staying to help clean up. "Um, well… you see… I've got some… books to return to the library.. Yeah! I need to return some books now!" Bill was in total disbelief, watching everyone leave with their poor excuses. "The library is-isn't even op-open at this t-time!?" Bill shouted, but it was already too late with Ben already out the door before he could hear what Bill retorted. By this time, Beverly couldn't hold her amusement any longer and began laughing at Bill, to the point where she turned red and struggled to breathe. "Wh-what's so f-funny huh?" Bill managed to sputter out, before being hugged by a chuckling red Beverly. "I can't believe you're managed to cheer everyone and scare them off at the same time!" Beverly's words were quite weird and slurred. It was obvious she wasn't going to stop laughing soon, and so Bill sighed before picking Beverly and dumping her in bed. She kept giggling to herself, whilst Bill cleaned her entire living room, picking up every single individual kernel and crumbs left on the carpeted floor.

He picked up all the drinks in the living room and emptied it out on the sink in the kitchen, just before noticing a bottle that was knocked over near the cups. Bill picked it up and on the bottom of the bottle itself was a little sticky note addressed to Bill… "Have fun and be careful with each other! Love. Stan the Man. Xx" Bill immediately got suspicious and took a quick whiff of the bottle's content. "V-vodka… Shit." It only took him a couple of seconds to piece together what happened before hearing a thud in the next room. Bill quickly hurried to check what had happened and just as he entered the room, Bill started cursing Stan out of his breath before he saw the 'new' mess that was in front of him. Beverly was lying on the floor with her dress soaking wet with drinks that magically appeared from nowhere. And much to Bill's disbelief, she was still smiling and laughing with a small grin on her mouth. Her face was flush red full mixed with her disorientating movements, sprawled across the floor. Bill didn't know what to do in the situation. He didn't know what to feel. He slowly picked her up from the floor and sat her up in her bed to give her a more comfortable position to sort out the situation. "Heyy Billlll, whasssup?!" 'Oh dear God' Bill thought to himself. He wanted to laugh so much… But he knew he couldn't, it would only escalate things further. "Bev, I th-think Stan sp-spiked your drink. And y-you should get o-out of those wet c-clothes and get c-cleaned up for bed." Beverly started to stare him down. "Is that so Billll? God-dammnit you're so good loookin'!" She couldn't help herself, and neither could Bill. He turned red yet again. "Billl you're the most kindest and bravest personn I'vee ever known…" She re-adjusted herself in front of Bill, to where she was now face to face with him. "And thatt's why I lovee you so so muchh!" Bill's heart stopped as soon as she said those words. But before he could process it any further, Beverly leaned in and starting kissing Bill in the lips. She wrapped her hands around his head which stopped Bill from struggling, which ultimately made Bill weak against her. Until Beverly slowly leaned away, leaving a very dazzled and surprised Bill in his stead. She tried to stand up in front of Bill, before she started to undress herself of her wet clothes dumping it in the floor. She was now half naked in front of Bill. He didn't even move as single inch since she kissed him. "Youu must think I'm a slutt huh? Like the rest of the peeps in school." She sounded pained when she said those words because she looked away from Bill and struggled to walk to the other side of the room. Bill immediately walked towards her and grabbed her shoulders. "N-no. You're not a s-slut. I think you're the m-most beautiful g-girl I've e-ever met. You're m-more special to me than y-you think. You mean t-the world to m-me. And w-who cares about t-the other p-people? I think you're t-the most s-strongest person in the gr-group and that's all w-what matters." Beverly started to tear up, even in this state. Bill was surprised at his burst of emotions, and confessing what he truly thought of her right at the moment. "N-now get d-dressed, I'll go finish cl-cleaning up here." It was obvious she was still touched by what Bill said as she gave him a tight hug before he left the room. It obviously knocked her drunken state into less of a state as she started changing into her bed-clothing. Bill on the other-hand, finished cleaning up and was checking up on everything that needed to be switched off. He made sure the door was locked, leaving the fire escape open so he could leave without having the door left unlocked. The living room was back in order, with every single litter swept away by Bill. He had also washed all the cups they used, as well as turned off all the lights in the house before going back to Beverly's room. However, all of his small chores made him extremely tired and weak, and Beverly saw this. She was already lying down in her bed, with the lamp on and her pile of clothes stacked nicely in the basket. She was wearing a vanilla silk shirt, covered in little red flowers that sprayed all the way down her clothes. Bill took a second to marvel at how beautiful she looked, before closing the door and checking up on her. However, upon seeing Bill, she asked him a question. "C-can you stay with me for the night? I'm scared here by myself. I don't want to be alone." Her voice trailed off, sounding so innocent and scared at the same time. Bill was adamant at first, knowing first-hand to know what that's like. Living with the struggle of living by herself. But then he realised he couldn't just leave Beverly half-drunk in her own house, just in case anything happens to her. "S-sure Bev, I'll stay f-for the night." He started to walk to wards the couch in her bedroom, but Beverly stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Sleep here, I don't want you to be uncomfortable." She motioned for him to sleep beside her in her bed. Bill couldn't argue any more, he was so tired he didn't have enough energy to argue anymore, even with this predicament he's in. Bill started to take off his shoes and laid right next to Beverly in bed. "Night Bill." She quietly whispered before turning off her lamp in her bedroom. "G-good night Bev." Just before Bill drifted off to sleep, he felt Beverly peck him in the lips and that was the last thing he remembered before he drifted off.

Upon waking up, Beverly noticed that she doesn't remember much what happened last night and how she came to her bedroom. She remembered everyone having a good time as much as she did. However, when she opened her eyes, she noticed she was lying on top of someone… That someone had his shirt off and was positioned below her. She also failed to notice her arms wrapped tightly around his chest, all the while his arms were around her waist. "Oh my god. Oh god." Beverly started to panic and was relieved to find out that she was still fully dressed, but still distressed about the situation. She quietly managed to slip away from his grip, and started to plan out what she needed to do next. The main thing that stood out to her was that she smelled of alcohol and other shit she didn't want to be thinking about. She quietly exited the room, and started to head towards the bathroom to the shower. "I need to ask him what happened last night, hopefully I didn't screw anything up… I hope." She decided to wait until she had finished and until he was awake. Little did she know that Bill was already awake and was trying to get out through the fire escape. "I am so definitely going to kill Stan for this…" Bill ran straight back to his house, hoping he wouldn't get noticed by anyone especially the rest of the group. "Could've b-been worse." Bill stated.


End file.
